


in daylights, in sunsets

by naegajams (Orangeiskindamyjam)



Series: Seasons of Love [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Prompt Fic, Seventeen Secret Santa 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 11:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17079677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orangeiskindamyjam/pseuds/naegajams
Summary: From a young age, Jihoon already knows what kind of person his soulmate is.





	in daylights, in sunsets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> i hope you enjoy reading bub!! i tried my best trying to follow the prompts you sent and I hope this makes you happy!!
> 
> Now available in Vietnamese: [here](https://my.w.tt/vaXdZ1tMtV)

From a young age, Jihoon already knows what kind of person his soulmate is.

 

His mother sighs when he sees the bumps and bruises lining the expanse of his arms and legs, wiping a damp rag as she scolds him for playing too hard outside. “It’s not me,” Jihoon insists, eyes stinging from the antiseptic wipes his mother uses over the scrapes. “It’s my soulmate.”

 

Pursing her lips, his mother heaves a soft sigh, “Your soulmate should be a lot more careful then. Jihoon-ah, make sure that you won’t do the same to your own soulmate okay?” She gestures towards the healing marks on Jihoon’s skin. “You’re not the only one who will feel pain whenever you get hurt from playing. You share marks with your soulmate, Jihoon-ah, and because of that you have to be very careful.”

 

Careful. That’s one word to describe Jihoon.  _ Be careful, Jihoon-ah, you shouldn’t climb up trees. What if you fall and hurt your soulmate? Be careful, Jihoon-ah, you swim in the water for so long, what if you get a sunburn? Be careful, Jihoon-ah, you wouldn’t want your soulmate to walk around with drawings all over their arms would you? _

 

Jihoon does whatever he’s told, making sure to avoid making any marks appear on his skin. He is, however, still a child and Jihoon makes his own addition towards the galaxy of bruises that appear on his own skin.

 

His soulmate contributes a far more larger amount of scrapes than he does and he doubts that he’d notice the three or four that Jihoon accumulates. The number of bruises each day is worrying for a child as young as he. 

 

Is his soulmate really that reckless? Does he have more than one? There have been several cases like that from time to time—people with multiple soulmates, and people with none. Jihoon is sure that he has one but he’s not entirely sure on what to do.

 

“Jihoon-ah, why don’t you try talking to them? You’re turning nine soon and I think it’s about time that you should,” his mother urges, looking at the small boy currently burying his nose into a  _ Pokemon _ almanac book which his parents got at a convention. “You could talk to them about your favorite Pokemon and have another friend to play with.”

 

“It’s alright, eomma,” Jihoon hums, turning a page to look at Cyndaquil. “I’m already used to all the bruises anyway.”

 

His mother frowns, looking at her son’s prone figure on the couch, “It’s not just about the bruises. You could introduce yourself as well! Soulmates can communicate with each other through written messages.” She lets out a small giggle, “That’s how your father and I met each other.”

 

“It’s never too early to make your presence known,” she presses a gentle kiss on Jihoon’s shoulder. He wonders if his soulmate can feel that too. “Just remind him that you’re here and maybe he’ll start being a little more careful while playing from now on.”

 

A slow, gentle tune leaves his mother’s lips as she walks towards the kitchen, no doubt preparing a snack for later. Jihoon sneezes when the edges of his book tickle his nose, wrinkling his nose right after the sensation. He glances at his mother’s swaying form, no doubt remembering his father as she twirls around the kitchen counter.

 

Even though he’s young, Jihoon has no desire to find his soulmate right away. It’s pretty naive to think that the whole soulmate thing would come easy but Jihoon has faith that it’d turn out well in the end. 

 

He hums along with his mother, skipping the pages to look for Lucario. Jihoon’s already turning nine, he knows what to do. He doesn’t have to look for his soulmate right now.

 

* * *

 

His soulmate comes looking for him however. 

 

Jihoon wakes up to the phantom press of a marker, making its way across his skin. He rubs his eyes with the knuckles of his right hand, his left arm tingling with the words his soulmate starts to write. When the tingling stops, Jihoon looks down on his hand to stare at the simple greeting his soulmate sent him:  _ hello. _

 

He stares at the word on his arm, right hand itching to get a pen of his own and reply. But then Jihoon hears his mother call out to him for breakfast and all thoughts of his soulmate vanish from his head.

 

Jihoon can reply next time.

 

* * *

 

As the days pass by, the words on Jihoon’s skin multiply as his soulmate grows increasingly daring with what they write. From simple  _ hi _ ’s and _ how are you’s _ , it evolves to  _ what did you eat for breakfast today? _ or  _ do you believe in the UFO sighting over Seoul? _ On other days, it features crude drawings of animals and clouds and the night sky which spans across the expanse of Jihoon’s left arm.

 

_ Who are you? _ That’s the one question that always appears each and every day. Sometimes it’s written in a joking manner, with big, bubbly question marks surrounding the simple phrase. Most of the times, it reeks of desperation and longing. Packed close together and written in the wee hours of morning, the words etch themselves deeply on Jihoon’s skin.

 

Jihoon wants to reply. But as soon as he picks up his pen, he is faced with the task of finding out what to write. A simple greeting isn’t enough anymore, not when his soulmate practically covers his left arm in ink. He supposes his soulmate could wait until Jihoon can formulate a reply.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s during his first year in college that he realizes his soulmate has gotten tired of waiting. Jihoon wakes up with his hair skewed from all nighter he pulled trying to finish his essay. His shoulder throbs due to the odd angle he fell asleep in and Jihoon hops into the shower, trying to remedy his body ache with warm water.

 

Once he catches sight of himself in the mirror, Jihoon can feel his heart freeze.

 

Drawn carefully on his face is a big, hairy goatee and three cat whiskers that streak itself on his skin. A large,  _ DUMBASS _ , is displayed on his forehead and Jihoon rushes forward to the sink in order to inspect more of the damage.

 

He can’t believe it.  Jihoon angrily scrubs at the hideous marks on his skin, the foamy suds of soap stinging his eyes while he tries to blink away tears that arouse from his harsh scrubbing. He scratches himself once or twice in his haste to get rid of the marks, his entire body fuming with the idea that his soulmate was idiotic enough to draw on his own face.

 

Jihoon’s entire face has been scrubbed raw right after, his skin baby pink and stinging in a few other places. The word,  _ DUMBASS _ , hasn’t disappeared entirely from his skin and Jihoon bemoans his fate, trying to pull down his bangs in order to hide the offending word from prying eyes.

 

In the end, he settles for wearing a beanie which covers his forehead. He dabs on a bit of concealer on the rest of the marks, which he asked for his next door neighbor after he explains his situation. The girl chuckles a bit at Jihoon’s words which leaves him increasingly embarrassed and furious at his soulmate for doing this to him.

 

“I’m sure your soulmate didn’t mean for it to happen like that,” she smiles when Jihoon comes over to return her makeup. “Why don’t you try talking to him to make sure it doesn’t happen again?”

 

Jihoon plods back into his room, about to run late for his class. He bites his lip and stares at his desk before shaking his head and picking up one of his pens. Lifting it up, Jihoon writes down,  _ Please be mindful of what you write. _

 

He caps his pen, satisfied with the warning that he wrote and he steps out of his dorm room, on his way to go to class. His hand tingles when he steps on campus and he sees various exclamations on his skin. 

 

_ You exist?? Sorry about that! My friend pulled a prank on me :( I’ll beat him up when I finally get my hands on him. _

 

Jihoon shakes his head at his soulmate’s reply. He writes down,  _ Thank you. Also, good morning. _

 

His soulmate replies,  _ good morning!! _ , as well and Jihoon can feel his heart speed up. It’s the first time he’s having a conversation with his soulmate. He can’t remember why he put it off so long, not when the tingly feeling in his arm feels just as good as the press of his pen on his skin.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Jihoon’s left arm is once again flowing with words that line up the various expanse of his arm. Jihoon indulges his soulmate with a few answers, striking up a conversation with the questions that appear on his skin.

 

Jihoon is elated when he finds that they share enough common interests, exchanging anime and manga recommendation while Soonyoung shares a few songs made by his favorite artists. The conversation continues up to Jihoon’s right arm, when they run out of space on the left. His soulmate’s handwriting becomes increasingly messy as time passes by and Jihoon can only laugh at his struggle to reply to Jihoon’s short query.

 

But just like before,  his soulmate comes and writes down,  _ Who are you _ ? And Jihoon is left with no answer. His soulmate readily gives out his own name when Jihoon remains silent, a simple scrawl of,  _ Kwon Soonyoung _ , with a small hamster drawing at the side.

 

Jihoon can’t help but choke on his own breath when he sees the name of his soulmate appear on his skin. There’s a guy named Kwon Soonyoung in his year and if he’s the same person as Jihoon’s soulmate—

 

_ I go to SNU. _

 

“Oh,” Jihoon breathes out. “It’s really him.”

 

Jihoon doesn’t know how to proceed. For one, Kwon Soonyoung is easily one of the most popular students on campus. In his first year alone, he managed to place in their school’s dancing competition and beat several seniors with his performance. Not to mention that he and Jihoon share the same social circle with them studying in the same department.

 

Kwon Soonyoung is a familiar face to Jihoon, even if they haven’t exchanged a single word with one another. Jihoon suspects the familiarity is one-sided, since he believes that someone like Soonyoung wouldn’t actually remember a silent guy like him.

 

The pen resting in Jihoon’s hand feel heavier than usual when he lifts it up to reply. He bites his lip, worrying the skin between his teeth as he tries his best to come up with a reply. It takes him a long time but Jihoon decides to let his sleep-addled brain come up with the words instead.

 

He remembers his hand moving across his skin with a single word but Jihoon can’t remember what it was. The last thing that splashes in his mind when he falls asleep is the sensation of words suddenly appearing on his skin when his soulmate reads Jihoon’s reply.

 

* * *

 

 

_ You go to SNU too? What year are you in? Do we know each other? Who are you??? _

 

Jihoon is greeted with an endless barrage of questions as soon as he wakes the other day. In his spare time, he tries to answer the questions as vaguely as possible. But somehow, his soulmate manages to deduce what department Jihoon is in and the year as well.

 

_ You’ve been answering during break times only. Are you in the music department perhaps? I have a few friends there and this is usually the time they’re free. I’m guessing you’re probably a first year like me, too! _

 

_ Hm. _

 

_ “Hm,” does that mean I’m correct? Warmer or colder?  _

 

“Warmer, definitely warmer,” Jihoon murmurs to himself as he tugs his sleeve right down his arm. He buries his face down into his scarf, the cold winter air numbing his cheeks as he walks briskly across the courtyard to get to the commons. 

 

A loud laugh makes Jihoon stop and stare at the direction it came from. There, at the other end of the courtyard, is Kwon Soonyoung and a few of his friends. Soonyoung has his left sleeve rolled up to his elbow, enthusiastically showing off his arm to his friends. 

 

“Look at this, my soulmate is amazing,” Soonyoung crows, a big smile teetering on his lips. “ _ It’s December. It’s most definitely colder. _ ” He laughs out loud once more, his friends rolling their eyes at his display.

 

“We get it, Soonyoung,” one of them pats his back. “Your soulmate is smarter than you and you love finally being able to talk to them.”

 

“Of course! I’ve been waiting so long for him to finally answer. Now, I just have to find out who he is.”

 

Soonyoung turns around and meets Jihoon’s gaze as he says this, and Jihoon can a small smile stretch itself on his lips. On his head, Soonyoung is wearing a fluffy, white beanie which Jihoon remembers him saying that’s it keeps his ears warm in the best way possible. Jihoon laughs at the memory, thinking it’s cute how bright Soonyoung is, even through written words.

 

He then blushes at the memory of Soonyoung’s reply,  _ But of course, you keep me warmer than any other beanie out there.  _ Jihoon shakes his head, breaking the small staring match with Soonyoung and continues his way down to the commons. 

 

Soonyoung wants to find out who Jihoon is. And Jihoon is scared, to say the least.

 

* * *

 

“I don’t want him to be disappointed when meeting me, eomma,” Jihoon sighs, fingers playing with the loose thread of his blanket. “He’s been insistent in trying to meet me and I don’t want him to get his hopes up when he sees who I really am.”

 

“ _ Why? What’s so bad about him knowing who you are?” _

 

“Eomma! Don’t you get it? He’s way above me as a person, I’m just me,” Jihoon frowns, leaning back and throwing his head on the pillows. He turns and exhales deeply into the receiver, closing his eyes as he repeats, “I’m just me.”

 

_ “Jihoon-ah, there’s nothing wrong with you being you. You’re a good person, smart and talented with music and very handsome to boot,” _ his mother chuckles. “ _ I know your soulmate would love you for who you are so don’t be afraid. Being nervous is alright but fear? That’s something you shouldn’t feel. _ ”

 

“But what if—”

 

_ “You’ll never know what happens until you try, my dear. Stop thinking about the ‘what-ifs’ and start think about the ‘I will’s’.” _

 

* * *

 

 

 

His mother’s words linger on his mind for a few days, brewing in every letter he writes across his skin. Soonyoung responds and writes just the same as he’s always done but even Jihoon could sense his longing in wanting to know who Jihoon really is.

 

His soulmate’s a great person, respecting Jihoon’s decision to stay hidden even though he knows they’re in the exact same campus and at the exact same department. Soonyoung doesn’t stage any weird hunts for him, doesn’t leave an obvious mark on Jihoon’s skin so he can set him apart from the crowd. He just writes and writes and makes Jihoon’s heart pound with every little joke he sends across his way.

 

“I’ll tell him,” he murmurs quietly to himself in class, twisting his hand to look at the cheery,  _ good morning! _ , Soonyoung left on his skin. His seatmate gives him an odd look for suddenly speaking in the middle of a lecture but Jihoon pays him no mind.

 

He’s going to go to Soonyoung and meet him first.

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Soonyoung? Ah, he didn’t come in today.”

 

Jihoon blinks at what one of Soonyoung’s classmate says. “He didn’t? Is he sick or something? Do you know what’s happened to him?” The guy stares at him curiously, tilting his head at Jihoon’s obvious distress.

 

“Nothing bad happened,” the guy says, raising a hand to calm Jihoon down. “He got a headache from staying up too late talking to his soulmate again. Soonyoung barely gets any sleep and talking to his soulmate only serves to lesson his sleep time.”

 

“Oh,” Jihoon shrinks back, guilt immediately seeping into his bones. “At least he’s not hurt in the least…”

 

The guy looks at him for quite a long time before extending his hand in greeting, “My name’s Jun. I can tell Soonyoung that you came by looking for him…?”

 

“Lee Jihoon,” he supplies, accepting Jun’s hand and nodding. “There’s no need to tell him though. I’ll go looking for him myself.”

 

“Because he’s your soulmate right?” Jun asks, a small smirk appearing on his lips. He lifts Jihoon’s arm up, “I’ve seen the same greeting on Soonyoung just before I left for class.”

 

He leans in close, inspecting Jihoon with a careful eye. “Lee Jihoon, first year majoring in Composition and Game Theory,” he lists down. “We heard your music in class one time. Our prof had us make a short choreo out of one of your pieces.”

 

Jihoon rips his arm out of Jun’s grip. “Does Soonyoung know who I am?” he demands, heart crawling up his throat. “How do you know about me?”

 

“I just told you, our prof showed us some of your pieces in class,” Jun says, crossing his arms across his chest. “Not to mention, Soonyoung has been interested in you for quite some time.”

 

A blush makes its way along Jihoon’s face, roses blooming across the milky expanse of his skin. “That’s a lie.”

 

Jun laughs, “Hey, give yourself some credit! You’re really cute, you know? If you haven’t started talking to Soonyoung after that one night, he would’ve considered asking you out. Wait till he realizes that the two guys he’s been pining over is one and the same.”

 

“Nice joke,” Jihoon puffs up, taking a step back away from Jun. 

 

“It's not a joke. If you want, you can confirm it yourself,” he shrugs. “Soonyoung’s passing by the Love Shot cafe later so he can try the Christmas specials. You can go meet him there later if you'd like.”

 

Jihoon narrows his eyes at him, “How do I know it's not a set-up?”

 

“Can't you just trust me? I'd never allow anything that'd make Soonyoung sad. He's my friend and you're his soulmate; of course I'm going to help you.” He prods Jihoon to move away, “Now go and meet him already!”

 

* * *

 

 

Jihoon steps into the cafe interior with slight apprehension. Mismatched furniture coupled with popart paintings and retro tables, the cafe is filled with other art students scribbling their way on sketchbooks or taking pictures of their cute cakes. Jihoon steps up to the counter, ordering an iced Americano and feeling the judgement in the cashier's eyes when he pays.

 

He shrugs it off, walking over to the claiming counter and scanning for an empty seat. Once he gets his order and sits, Jihoon takes out his laptop in order to get some work done while waiting. Jun said that Soonyoung is sure to drop by the cafe in order to try the holiday drinks but when it turns half past three with no sign of him, Jihoon is starting to doubt Soonyoung showing up.

 

His drink is empty, his work finished and his soulmate is nowhere to be found. Jihoon sighs and starts packing up his things, resigning himself to meet Soonyoung the next day instead. The bell chimes with another entry just as Jihoon is about to stand up from his seat. Jihoon looks up, by way of instinct, and his eyes meet Soonyoung who enters with a flurry.

 

He sees Soonyoung's eyes go wide upon seeing him but the latter immediately turns away and heads to the counter, ordering his grin. Jihoon touches his cheeks, heart palpitating with nervousness because  _ Soonyoung is here!! He's here and Jihoon is supposed to meet him and he's about to fuck it up. _

 

Soonyoung takes a seat down a few tables away from him and Jihoon tries his best not to stare, instead focusing his gaze on his hands and clenching them on his lap.  _ How does he tell Soonyoung he's in the same place as him? Does he walk up to him? Pass him a note? _ Jihoon shakes his head, desperately trying to think of a way.

 

His leg bumps into the table and his own clatters to the ground.  _ Of course _ , he shakes his head. Jihoon picks up the pen and glances up at Soonyoung. 

 

Jihoon bites his lip, moving his pen to write down,  _ hello! _ And setting it down to watch Soonyoung's reaction.

 

A big smile appears on Soonyoung's lips when he gazes down at the message Jihoon has written him. It makes Jihoon's stomach twist in several ways and Jihoon grips his pen tighter. He stops the urge to smile when he sees Soonyoung pouting as he searches for a pen, coming up dry when all he has on him is his phone and wallet.

 

Soonyoung stands up, presumably to look fo a pen so he can reply to Jihoon and this makes butterflies appear in Jihoon's chest. His soulmate wants to reply as fast as possible that he has no qualms about asking a stranger for a pen so he could reply.

 

“Excuse me,” a voice startles him from his reverie. Jihoon glances up to see Soonyoung standing right in front him, a hesitant smile on his lips, “Do you have a pen I can borrow?”

 

“Ah.”

 

Soonyoung looks down at the pen in Jihoon's hand, and then to his exposed arm where he wrote the message. Understanding appears in his eyes with a knowing glint and he pulls out the other chair facing Jihoon and sits down.

 

“Nevermind then,” he smiles, leaning forward to face Jihoon. “I don't need a pen to talk to a cutie like you when I could do so face to face instead.”

 

Jihoon rolls his eyes in an effort to combat the blush slowly spreading across his cheeks. “Nice to know you're the same in real life as you are in written words.”

 

He squares himself and looks at Soonyoung straight in the eyes, extending his hand in greeting, “I'm Lee Jihoon. Nice to meet you.” 

 

“Kwon Soonyoung,” he nods, accepting Jihoon's hand. Instead of shaking it however, he decides to twine their fingers together. “Your drink is empty, would you like another? My treat.”

**Author's Note:**

> [ twt ](https://mobile.twitter.com/soonhoonlovebot)|[ cc ](https://curiouscat.me/orangecarat)


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